You're reading: Training sessions a huge draw in Krakow

Netherlands trained in front of thousands of noisy Poles on June 6 but silence is sometimes golden for coach Bert van Marwijk.

Netherlands trained in front of thousands of noisy Poles on June 6 but silence is sometimes golden for coach Bert van Marwijk.

The Dutch, training at Polish league side Wisla Krakow’s stadium, could have been forgiven for thinking they were already at their opening Group B match with Denmark on June 9, such was the fervour and multitude of the fans packing the stands.

The Danish game will take place in Ukraine’s Kharkiv while Krakow, Poland’s second biggest city, is not hosting a single match during the co-hosted tournament despite boasting an impressive stadium.

"It was a great atmosphere. The small disadvantage is that you can’t coach so well because of the noise," Van Marwijk joked at a news conference in the plush new Wisla facilities.

"The audience was fantastic."

The fact Krakow does not have any matches is a major reason why the fans are turning out en masse to see training sessions.

Italy are using the nearby stadium of Polish side Cracovia for their training and on June 5 13,000 fans attended to watch a very leisurely session.